Sound-record for talking-machines.



J. W. OWEN.

SOUND RECORD POR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 27, 1907.

964,685., Patented July 19, 1910.

WITNESSES A TTORNEY Fil@ @T AE JAMES W. OWEN, OF PILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANI, .ASSIG-NOR'TO 'VICTOR TALEN@ MACHINE COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.-

SOUND-RECOBD FOB TALKING-MACHINES.

Specication of Letters Patent. Patented July i9, 1910.

Application led August 27, 1907. Serial No. 39U,319.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JAMES W. WEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, Ahave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sound-Records for 'lalking-ltla-` chines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact disclosure, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improved sound. record, such as is used` on gralnophones, graphophones and othersound reproducing machines.

The object of my invention is to produce a commercial record which is difiicult to duplicate without impairing or interfering in any manner with the sound recorded thereon.

A further object of my invention is to lincorporate into the record portion of a 'commercial Y sound record identification marks, words, descriptive matter or other distinguishing characters to designate either the source of origin of the record, or any other information which may he desired, in such a manner that it would be extremely diilicult to-remove or eace the same without injuring or destroying the record, and

at the same time to so place such characters on the recording surface as not to" interfere in any manner with the quality of the reproduction.

ln the drawingsforming a part of thisv specification in which the same reference character is used to designate the same part throughout the various views, Figure i represents a plan view of a disk record, having the sound waves recorded in laterally undulatory grooves of substantially even depth on the face thereof and embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse fragmentary sectional view and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal fragmentary sectional view of the same; Figs. el and 5, 6 and 7 and 8 and 9 are views corresponding to Figs. 2 and 3 but of modified forms of my invention. it is vto be understood that Figs. 2 to 9 are on a greatly exaggerated scale.

l indicates a commercial record having characters 4, the same being formed by mali:-A ing the record surface in a dierent plane from the main or body portion of the record surface. In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 these characters are formed as depressions in the recorded surface, the said depressions being both at the tops of the grooves and also at the bottoms of the same, so that the record grooves 2 are of exactly the same depth inthe main or body portion of the record and in the depressed portions. The edges. of the dejpressed portions are not Shar rounded or beveled into the main or body portion, as-at 5. In Figs. 4 and 5 the characters are formed by raising certain portions of the record surface above the main or body portion of the record in exactly the reverse manner as the characters are formed in the modification above described, and as illustrated in Figs. l to 3 inclusive. ln this latter modification the characters and the raised but arev portions are of exactly the same depth as the h characters in the main and body portion of the record and the edges of the raised portions are beveled as at 5. in Figs. 6 and 7 the characters are formed by removing portions from the side walls of the sound groove along the upper edges thereof towiden the grooves for distances corresponding to the widths of the portions of the letters to be 1mpressed, as indicated by 6, in these igures. As the stylus point bears upon the lower portions 7 of the side walls of the grooves the action of the stylus is not aiected by this slight change in the upper portion of the groove. ln Figs. 8 and 9 the characters are formed by removing at proper intervals the lower portions of the groove as indicated at 8, leaving the outer side walls of the grooves and the outer surface of the record intact. As the extent of the elevation or depression in surface of the grooves is hut slight, and the edges of the same are rounded or tapered into the normal surface of the bottom of the groove, the action of the stylus which coperates with the side walls of the groove will not be a'ected by this change.

From the above it will be seen that l have made a record in which ortions of the record surface are in diderent but parallel planes and that by slightly elevating or depressing portions of'hoth the upper surface of the recorded surface and the portions or" the sound groove the depth of `the record groove is not varied.

On account of the fact that the surface of both tablet and groove of a commercial record, of the characters above described is smooth and polished, a very slight variation in the plane of the surface of the .record is very noticeable, therefore, the distance between the planes of the raised or depressed portions of the record and the main or body portion of the record may be very small indeed and yet give a very marked effect, and it is therefore, obviousythat instead of removing portions of the grooves, as shown in Figs. 6 to 9, portions of the side and bottom of the groove extending the full depth thereof'might be slightly raised or slightly depressed to obtain the desired effect, Withoutmaking any noticeable change in the action of the stylus as it is moved by theA Walls of the grooves. Slight variations in the plane of the surface of the sound record or groove will not effect, in any manner, the reproduction from the record especially if the line of demarkation between the raised or depressed and the main or body portion of the record be beveled oli into the main portion of the record, the stylus riding quietly over such depression or elevation of the record groove.

lVhile l have shown my invention as applied to disk records havinliglateral undulations. it is obvious that it may be applied to records of cylindrical shape or to any other form having lateral or vertical undulations, and l do not limit myself to any particular forni of record disk or of undulations.

Having thus described my'invention, What l claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent ofVY the United States is:

1. A record provided With a recorded' surface having a visual identification character formed in said recorded surface.

2. A record having a recorded surface, consisting of a spiral groove of substantially uniform udepth and having lateral undulations corresponding to sound Waves, and a visual identication mark impressed into said recorded surface. y

3. A record comprising `a surface having undulations thereon corresponding to sound Waves, and having a portion of said surface displaced vertically with reference to the surrounding portions of-said`rec0rdedV surface Without phonetically affecting the reproduction of the recorded sound,

4. A record provided with undulatory grooves on one surface, and visual identification marks distinct from the said grooves located upon the surface occupied by the said grooves.

5. A record having a recorded surface consisting of a groove of substantially uniform depth, and having undulations correceases spondin to .sound Waves and visual marks which o not phonetically affect the record located upon said recorded surface.

6. A record provided With a recorded surface and having portions of said surface displacedl in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the surrounding portions of said surface.

7. A record having a visual character located upon the recorded surface thereof.

8. A record provided With a recorded surface and having marks located upon said recorded surface, the surface between said marks and said recorded surface being beveled to avoid the production of sound by the passage of the needle along said recorded surface. 2

9. A record comprising a surface having undulatory grooves thereon corresponding to sound Waves, and having portions of said surface displaced'with reference to the surrounding portions of said surface, the surface between said portions being beveled in the direction of said grooves to avoid the production of sound by the passage of the needle along the grooves.

l10. A record having a visual mark located upon the recorded surface thereof, and eX- tending over a plurality of adjacent convolutions of the record groove. :l

11. A sound record having an identification mark upon theirecorded surface thereof, which Will. notsubstantially -accoustically affect the stylus.

12. A record provided with a recorded surface,portions of which recorded surface are displaced relative to adjacent portions of said recorded surface Without substantially altering the depth of the record groove.

13. A sound record having a recorded surface, a portion of Which recorded surface is elevated. relative to adjacent portions of said surface Without substantially changing the phonetic character of the record groove.

14. A sound record having a recorded surface provided With a record groove, portions of which recorded surface together with said groove are elevated relative to adjacent portions of said recorded surface.

15. A sound record having an identification mark impressed into the recorded surface. i

,In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my7hand this 26th day of August, A. D. 190

asians vv. owns.

Witnesses:

` A. l. GARDNER,

ALEXANDER FAKK. 

